Photo artist Han Sung-pil's 2016 work, "Weight of Time," showcases the melting glaciers in the Arctic Ocean off the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard near the North Pole.

Photo artist warns of global warming

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Unbeknown to himself, Han Sung-pil became a cause-driven photo artist while photographing natural wonders in several parts of the world over the past decade.

Han, 45, was first shocked by the indiscriminative use and ensuing deforestation of the Indonesian rainforest of Kalimantan and the effects on residents during his photo project there in 2004. Global companies' profit-seeking and farmers' use of the jungle to grow vegetables and crops took a toll on the ecosystem and wildlife.

In the central French region of Loire in 2005, Han witnessed a rare coexistence of technology and Mother Nature — ceaseless steam was being released from the cooling tower of a nearby nuclear power plant behind the peaceful vineyard in the Loire Valley. He felt the scenery stretching before his eyes was something ironic and "surreal" because farmers grew grapes near the nuclear power plant. The safety of nuclear reactors was seriously questioned after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in 2011.

The defining moment of his transformation from observer to concerned artist, however, came last year when he travelled to the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard near the North Pole. He saw first-hand the results of global warming there and realized that climate change was real and happening much faster than he had thought.

The weather there in October 2016 was above zero Celsius and it rained throughout his three-week photo project on the remote islands through an Arctic Circle residency program. He and about 30 artists, scientists and educators from around the world had explored the natural wonders of the Arctic aboard a specially equipped vessel.

That was his second visit to the region. His first was in October 2013 through the same residency program. His two experiences over three years on the same itinerary enabled him to compare what happened.

"Global warming is real," he said. "My experience there last year was something alarming. In 2013, the weather there was very cold and we had lots of snow. The areas we visited were covered with snow and glaciers. But those glaciers had been melting visibly last year. I remember one day the temperature rose to five or six degrees Celsius and we had lots of rain."

According to a Financial Times article, temperatures in the Arctic region in November 2016 were as high as almost minus five Celsius, which is almost 20 degrees higher than during the same period in previous years.

Danish scientist Rasmus Tonboe was quoted as saying, "We've been processing this data since 1958 and we haven't really seen anything like this at this time of year."

Intrigued by global warming and its visible impact on the Arctic region, Han said he felt that doing nothing was not an option. "People read or hear about climate change mainly through the media and so their experiences are indirect," he said. "But I was privileged to watch it in person because I took photos in many parts of the world. I felt that there's a role that I could play to let the public know about it and so they can join hands to stop climate change."

He was determined to share his experience. Since April 27, the photographer has been displaying his 37 works under the theme of "Intervention" at Ilwoo Space gallery in Central Seoul. Enlarged images of the Arctic region, glaciers and coal mining there and the whaling base in Antarctica are being exhibited until June 14.

The images trace humans' centuries-old struggles and greed to obtain energy sources at the expense of Mother Nature.

The exhibition commemorates his winning of an Ilwoo Award for photographers last year. Iwoo is the nom de plume of Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho and the company presents the awards to talented photo artists.

Unlike other photographers who perform little to no alterations to their photos, Han uses the facades technique to turn his images into art. He drew media attention in 2015 for his "Harmonious Havana," a massive image of a stone pagoda in the southeastern city of Gyeongju. The image was installed on the Editora Abril building during the 12th Havana Biennale in May, 2015.

Han's 2016 work, "Weight of Time," showcases the melting ice in the Arctic Ocean in the Svalbard region — a project that vividly shows the real impact of global warming on the region.

"I think one of our roles as artists is to address certain issues or send messages through our works," he said. "We are the people who throw a stone in the lake to disturb its peaceful surface to cause a stir and to alarm those who live in the neighborhood to ponder about the issue we are raising. I think artists are not the people who give direct answers to those issues."

Han said that during his decades of work as a photo artist, he tried to raise the topic of humans living between safety and danger. The topic is reflected in the photos he took in Indonesia and France.

Global companies' logging and agro-business rapidly destroyed the lush Indonesian rainforest of Kalimantan, home to rich flora and fauna. Data shows more than half of the jungle there has been deforested in recent years.

"I saw how the rich rainforest was destroyed," he said. "Global companies' production of vegetable oil for Western consumers and local farmers' fire-fallow cultivation to secure agricultural territory were responsible for deforestation there.

"As the rainforest was destroyed because of humans' greedy uses and development, the ecosystem was negatively affected and caused wildlife species to dwindle. Hunting led to the extinction of wildlife species and damaged the ecosystem. Baby animals were traded as pets, which was sad."

People developed the rainforest to provide goods for them, but this ironically ended up threatening their lives, he said. This was what Indonesian people were now going through, he said.

His visits to the French region of Loire in 2005 and 2015 resulted in a similar lesson. Farmers grow grapes near a nuclear power plant along the Loire River. If properly managed, nuclear energy is a clean and sustainable energy source with almost no emissions. But a disaster occurs when there is a nuclear crisis, as the world witnessed in 2011 when the Fukushima nuclear meltdown ravaged the north-eastern part of Japan.

"I felt the Loire region was a symbolic place showing people living between safety and danger," he said.